"Morning Joe" co-host Mika Brzezinski began Monday's show by gushing over Joe Biden, enthusing that the Vice President is "our guy." She also rhapsodized, "I love him" [MP3 audio available here]. The MSNBC anchor's comments came in the wake of an appearance Biden made on Sunday where he declared Democrats would retain the House and the Senate.
Brzezinski, who makes no effort to hide her affiliation with the current administration, just cannot seem to get enough of Joe. At one point, she touted, "I got to tell you, I have got a great deal of respect for him and his ability to get the point across."
This despite the fact that Biden has made an incalculable number of blunders as Vice President, including: telling President Obama that the health care bill was a "big f'___ deal," or perhaps citing that even if the stimulus was passed and even, "If we do everything right, if we do it with absolute certainty, there's still a 30% chance we're going to get it wrong."
Nevertheless, the hosts on "Morning Joe" just see these gaffes as Joe being Joe and nonchalantly push those gaffes aside, claiming that the Vice President "is the most effective communicator for their message."
The transcript for the July, 19, 2010 segment is available here:
6:00:10 EDT
JOE BIDEN: I don't think the loss can be bad at all. I think we're going to shock the heck out of everybody. I am absolutely confident when people take a look at what has happened since we've taken office in November and comparing it to the alternative; we're going to be in great shape. We're going to win the House and we're going to win the Senate. We're not going to lose either one of those bodies.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: All right. There is our Vice President on ABC yesterday. Once again, proving once again, he is the most effective communicator for their message. Every time I hear him, we like to make fun of Joe here, but we actually, I got to tell you, got a great deal of respect for him and his ability to get the point across. He is our guy. Welcome to Morning Joe. He is our guy; we'll just admit that, transparently.
7:08:10 EDT
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Moving on now. Just one week after white house spokesman Robert Gibbs admitted that democrats could lose the house this November, vice president Joe Biden is offering a much more optimistic look. Speaking on ABC, Biden said he and president Obama are confident about their prospects this fall.
BIDEN: I don't think the loss will be bad at all. I think we will shock the heck out of everybody. I am absolutely confident when people take a look what has happened since we've taken office in November and comparing it to the alternative we are going to be in great shape. We are going to win the House and we're going to win the Senate. We're not going to lose either one of those bodies.
BRZEZINSKI: Okay. I love him. What do you say, Mark?
MARK McKINNON: I like him, too. But such political theater, it was so refreshing to hear Gibbs and Axelrod come out and say the obvious truth.
BRZEZINSKI: They are going to have a hard time?
McKINNON: Yeah, it's tough to keep the House. That's just all of the data points to that and that is the facts and the reality. Now we see the Vice President come out and have to spin --
BRZEZINSKI: No, I think what I heard there was him saying it's going to be tough but we're going to get through. But there is no question that they are in the middle of a lot of policies that have yet to kick in.
McKINNON: Sure.
BRZEZINSKI: And may take a hit for that. What is wrong with saying that?
MCKINNON: Nothing is wrong with saying the reality. But the fact is they are pushing the administration officials out. There was a huge backlash from Nancy Pelosi and others in the Democratic Party saying how dare you suggest we could lose the House. Well, the fact is they could lose the House and are likely to lose the House. Vice President Biden is right we have policies that haven't kicked in and hope they kick in before November and if they do perhaps that will change the outcome. But probably not.
MARK HALPERIN: The one point that I think Democrats on Capitol Hill make that runs counter to Mark's analysis is this gives a permission slip for corporate lobbyists to give money to Republicans. They tend to put their money where they think the majority is going to be and if the White House says that, then that allows Republicans to go to lobbyists and other corporate
interests and say even the White House thinks we may be the majority.
BRZEZINSKI: That is the hit right there.
McKINNON: Which is what I like.
BRZEZINSKI: You were all good with that.
WILLIE GEIST: But, aren't lobbyists and everybody else in Washington looking at the same realities we are?
BRZEZINSKI: No.
GEIST: The same polls were looking at?
HALPERIN: Rationally, But there is psychology involved. You go to these meetings and you do these solicitations. And if you can say..
MCKINNON: Even the white house says.
HALPERIN: Even the white house says they smell we're going to have a Speaker Boehner and if you want to be in good with him you need to shift your money over now and what the Democrats on Capitol Hill are arguing and again it goes to this more psychological strain between the White House and the House Democrats in particular and some on the Senate which is, they feel the White House does not have as much on the line. They are right. The president will have his job in January and some House Democrats will not.
